Salary

The current Presidential salary is capped at $400000 per year, with George W. Bush being the first to receive this amount. Considering the great burden of running the most powerful country in the world, this is quite a modest sum. It is interesting to note that until recently, the salary was only half this amount, and one of the main reasons it was raised was simply because with the common cost of livingraises of 1-4% per year, several salaries for other federal officials were set to surpass the Presidentialsalary in just a few years. Details of the executive's salary can be found in the Constitution (Article II, Section 1) and the United States Code (Title 3, Chapter 2).

Below is a chart of the President's salary over time. It should be noted that only two presidents have declined the executive salary: George Washington and John F. Kennedy. Herbert Hoover did accept his salary, but donated it all to charity.

Food

While the President technically has to pay for his own food, he does have a number of expense accounts (see below) that he can use to purchase it. Regardless of who pays, the White House has 5 full time chefs to prepare any sort of meal for the White House staff. In addition, there is a huge collection of vintagewine which is still in stock from when Thomas Jefferson spent more than $10000 purchasing it.

Help

The President may hire a total of 34 staff for domestic service and administration. This is above and beyond the positions already officially part of the Executive Branch of the federal government. In addition, the President may hire the temporary services (one year or less) of an unlimited number of professionals, experts, or consultants as required.

As if the staff above is not enough, the President may hire up to 100 assistants for the White House Office. He may hire up to 3 people to work specifically at the Executive Residence. As with above, the President may hire any number of professionals, experts, or consultants as needed. It should be noted that normal or expected maintenance of the White House and its grounds are already covered by the budget.

More Money

In addition to his salary, the President gets numerous expense accounts including:

General account ($50000)

Official expenses of the White House office

Entertainment expenses

Separate entertainment expenses for official presidential functions

Traveling expenses for the president and anyone traveling with him (above and beyond the free limo, helicopter, and airplane rides)

Retirement

As if all of this other money wasn't enough, the President's pension is quite hefty. The annual pension is equal to the yearly salary of a cabinet member (currently over $150000). Some examples include Bill Clinton who is expected to receive over $6 million and Ronald Reagan who received more than $2 million during his lifetime. Interestingly enough, George Bush has declined his pension.

In addition to the pension, the ex-president receives free postal service for non-political correspondence, free office space, and $96000 a year to pay for office help. During the first 30 months after his term has expired, the president is also eligible for up to $150000 per year to hire a staff to help with the transition.